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Blue Jays Bullpen: LaTroy Hawkins reflects on lives he's touched over long career

The emotions began to wash over LaTroy Hawkins the moment he slid into the front seat of the hotel shuttle for the short trip to Tropicana Field on Sunday morning. The Jays reliever is 99.9 per cent sure that he is going to retire, so this would be his last regular season ballgame as a major-league player, his last ride to the park, his last stroll out to the bullpen with his young teammates and his last time leaving the clubhouse, leaving an empty locker, but leaving with 21-years of memories.

“I think I'm leaving a lot to the game,” Hawkins said. “All the people that I've touched and they've touched me. All the lives I've impacted. All the people that impacted my life. I'll be fine.”

On Saturday, Hawkins had been called into a game against the Rays with two outs in the seventh inning to protect a one-run lead. He induced Tim Beckham to line softly to Darwin Barney at second base. It was then that Hawkins went to work adding to his collection. The 42-year-old has saved every baseball from every game since he reached appearance No. 900, June 18, 2013 with the Mets.

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Hawkins wanted that baseball from his final game, No. 1,042 of a long and illustrious career. He locked in on Barney as he flipped the ball to shortstop Ryan Goins. Finally Hawkins caught Goins attention, so instead of flipping the ball up into the crowd, Goins hung onto it and made his way down the dugout to find Hawkins and hand him the ball. He ranks 10th overall in major-league history.

“The thought process was that I wanted to get 900 appearances and then I went, oh well, if I continue to play, how about if I just collect the balls and I continue to have them,” Hawkins explained his unusual hobby. “I'm going to have them in my house. And now it's easy to do it because you get everything authenticated and I started with my clubhouse guy in 2013 with the Mets and he notified all the authenticators what he was doing, so that makes it really easy because they're looking for me after the game. Like, OK, here's the ball. And they do it. I just wanted to have something unique.”

The Top 10 MLB list features some interesting and familiar names: Jesse Orosco, Mike Stanton, John Franco, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, Dan Plesac, Mike Timlin, Kent Tekulve and Hawkins. Even though Hawkins was on the mound for the Jays' AL East clinching game on Wednesday, that is not his favourite souvenir, the most important in his collection.

“I think one of the coolest ones on the list I passed was 906 at Cy Young,” Hawkins revealed. “There's an award named after him. My buddy Eddie Guardado, a good friend of mine, was 908.”

In fact Guardado, currently bullpen coach with the Twins, is one of Hawkins best friends in baseball and one of the veterans that had taught him about leadership and an esprit-de-pen that the right-hander has brought with him to the Jays and passed along to young teammates – which is all of them. Stuff like the relievers all coming in together at the end of a game. Stuff like bullpen-only dinners away from the park. He has been a sublime influence on guys like 20-year-old Roberto Osuna.

“Eddie Guardado, Bobby Wells, this is what we did when I first got to Minnesota, when I first got to the bullpen,” Hawkins said. “It was what we did. Mike Jackson was part of it. We got together with each other outside of the ballpark. It's not a Twins type thing. A lot of other teams did it. It's a human-type thing. But if you've never been taught it, how would you know to do it.”

Hawkins is not done yet, of course. He's going to the playoffs with the Jays. He's been there before, even to a World Series with the Rockies in 2007, losing in four games to the Red Sox. He was a veteran even back then, but this is different at 42 and knowing he is going to retire.

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“I think the older you get, the more you appreciate it,” Hawkins said. “I'm not saying I didn't appreciate it then, but now it's towards the end and it's like, 'Wow.'

“I was just sitting here (on Sunday) and Russ (Martin) was walking past and he was, 'You can't look at me like that. What's going on. Come on, give it to me.' I'm like, 'Nothing. It's my last regular season game. The last ride to the ballpark, regular season, as a player.' He was like, 'Oh yeah. I get it. It's kind of bittersweet.”

But in a career that has been far more sweet than it has been bitter, Hawkins knows he could still pitch, still move up on the all-time list, maybe reach fifth and join only one other right-hander, Rivera, in the Top 5. But he also knows his daughter is going to be in high school and he feels it's time.

“Someone told me once that the best time to retire is when they don't want you to,” Hawkins said. “When they want you to, it's way too late.”

THE WEEK THAT WAS (2-2 at Orioles; 1-2 at Rays; 93-69 overall 1st in AL East)

The Jays are in the post-season for the sixth time, playing the Rangers for the first time.

The Jays were 3-4 on the final road trip and were 1-4 down the stretch after clinching the AL East title in Game 1 of the doubleheader at Baltimore on Sept. 30. The Jays had clinched a playoff berth on Sept. 25, the earliest clinch date in any season in franchise history. Of course, the five previous times the Jays have gone to the playoffs there was no wild-card alternative, so that skews the study. The earliest prior clinch date for a division was Sept. 27 to nail down the AL East in 1993 over the Yankees.

The only time the Jays have clinched a division title on someone else's turf was that Sept. 27, 1993 game played in Milwaukee as Pat Hentgen (19-8) beat Cal Eldred by a score of 2-0, with a save by Duane Ward. Paul Molitor clubbed a homer in the top of the third and Devon White delivered a sacrifice fly in the third. The temperature was a blustery 10 degrees C.

The Jays have recorded 26 games with 10+ runs and are 25-1 in those contests, losing only to the Royals by a score of 11-10 on July 12. In addition, the Jays are 31-2 when scoring nine-plus runs. The 26 games of 10+ runs is a club record. The Jays have 57 innings of 4+ runs, a MLB high.

The Jays have been shut out five times this season and are 16-57 when scoring four runs or fewer. The Jays are 15-28 (.349) in one-run games, worst in the majors. The Jays in the last 23 games in which they score four runs or fewer are 9-14. When scoring five or more runs, they are 79-12.

The Blue Jays were outscored by the O's and Rays 39-38 over the final seven games, going 3-4. The Jays led the majors with 891 runs scored. That's 127 runs more than the second place Yankees. The +221 run differential is 99 better than the second-place Cardinals. The Blue Jays' top four single season run totals are: 894 in '03; 891 in '15; 883 in '99; 861 in 2000.

The Jays, after their record-tying win streak ended at 11 games, losing to the Yankees on Aug. 14, went 29-17. The Jays outscored opponents 353-232 in the final 60 games. The Blue Jays were 40-18 after the trade deadline, 48-23 post-all-star break, 51-30 in the second half and 70-39 since bottoming out at seven games under .500 following the first game of a doubleheader on June 2.

The Blue Jays finished up 12-8 in inter-league play, outscoring NL opponents by an astounding 50 runs. The Jays were 53-28 at home and 40-41 on the road, including 31-23 in the last 54 away from the Rogers Centre. NEXT UP: Game 1 of the Division Series vs. the Rangers on Thursday at home.

INJURIES: SS Troy Tulowitzki returned to the active roster in Tampa and played on Friday and Sunday. 2B Devon Travis (left shoulder) had exploratory surgery and a small cyst was removed. He had been placed on the DL July 31, retroactive to July 29 and was transferred to the 60-day DL, effectively ending his season ... 2B Maicer Izturis (shoulder) on 60-day DL out for the season ... OF Michael Saunders (left knee) was on the 60-day DL and out for the season..

TRANSACTIONS OF THE WEEK:Infielder Jon Diaz was recalled from AAA-Buffalo and finished the season on the major-league roster. .

JOHN GIBBONS has posted a career record of 555-541 in two stints as Blue Jays manager. Gibbons ranks No. 188 in MLB history in total wins, three behind Gene Lamont, who is next on the list. Gibbons recorded victory No. 500 in the majors on June 22 at Tampa Bay. His win total is second in franchise history, behind Cito Gaston (913). His losses also rank second to Cito (851).

THE LIST – BLUE JAYS POST-SEASON SERIES THROUGH HISTORY

YEAR SERIES OPPONENT W/L MANAGER

1985 ALCS Kansas City L 3-4 Bobby Cox

1989 ALCS Oakland L 1-4 Cito Gaston

1991 ALCS Minnesota L 1-4 Cito Gaston

1992 ALCS Oakland W 4-2 Cito Gaston

1992 WS Atlanta W 4-2 Cito Gaston

1993 ALCS Chicago W 4-2 Cito Gaston

1993 WS Philadelphia W 4-2 Cito Gaston

THE CONVERSATION – BLUE JAYS HITTING COACH BROOK JACOBY

We caught up with first-year hitting coach Brook Jacoby prior to the season's final game against the Rays, between sessions with his Blue Jays students, in the cages early and on the field for B.P.

RICHARD GRIFFIN: When you came over to this team, you saw video at home in the off-season. Did you realize how much hitting talent there was here and then kept adding.

BROOK JACOBY: I think, yes, I really did. When you have guys like Bautista and Encarnacion as your core guys, then you add a Donaldson and a Martin to the mix and then of course all the late additions we made too, it only solidified the lineup and made us a lot better.

RG: Darwin Barney talked about the fact that he was impressed that you had worked with Rudy Jaramillo. What made Rudy such a good hitting coach. I mean he's not like a Charlie Lau. Does he fit his teaching to what players already have, rather than trying to fit all guys into the same system.

BJ: Basically you try to learn and learn what they do well and if there's anything that you can add or adjust to make it even better. I don't believe in necessarily making hitters cookie cutters. You've got Revere, who has a big move and Jose has a leg kick and Eddie has low hands. I mean you can't...that's what works for them. You've got to add to what they already bring.

RG: I manage a team of 19-21-year-olds for the last four years and younger kids as they were coming up. I always try to tell them about being on time and keeping the bat in the hitting zone as long as you can. Are those two of the big keys.

BJ: I think balance and bat-path. Of course it all starts with timing. Everybody's rhythm is a little different, but they all have some rhythm. Some are bigger than others. Revere has a big move with his hands and he makes it work. Hague, same type of thing. But basically, you want guys in the hitting zone as long as they can be. The longer the better. There's an old adage, you've got to swing down on the ball. Well you start swinging down on a ball that's coming on a (slightly downward) plane, you're going to end up causing the (ball) to be in the air more. So we talk more about being flat through the zone rather than really swinging down.

RG: You see kids growing up and they have to make adjustments. I assume even these guys at this level have to make adjustments.

BJ: Certainly, certainly. They have to adjust to how they're being pitched, how they're being attacked in the zone. But young kids, the two big things is swing with balance and bat path is big too.

RG: Is one of your philosophies just to watch and wait until someone asks for help, for example if they're slumping. Or if you see an obvious move that needs adjusting you approach them.

BJ: I think first of all, you're not going to come in and get down somebody's throat about the way they hit. Try to work with them and work with their swing to try and correct a flaw if you see a flaw. There's a lot of ways. Hitting's cause and effect. What's causing the effect that you're getting if it's a negative one and then I need to see it for a long period, more than one or two days. It could just be one of those days, but if you start seeing the same things occurring over and over, then it's time to jump in.

RG: Do you save video from when a guy's going well, just to show or to compare later on.

BJ: Yeah, that's definitely a go-to if a guy's struggling. First thing, I'll go back and look. When was he going good. What's he doing now. Where's he at now. Put them side-by-side and compare. First thing's timing. Is he getting ready on time. A lot of times if you're not ready and you're late, you're not seeing the ball good either. But then the mental side of it too. Guys are thinking about their mechanics and not focused on the pitcher and seeing the baseball.

RG: I think that's the biggest thing with my guys is getting ready on time. I don't even have video but you can see it when the pitcher's foot is coming down and they haven't even begun to load. But is the video aspect the thing that's changed the most since you started coaching.

BJ: Since I've played, yeah. Since I played they used to tape our at-bats with an 8-track tape. So if we wanted to look we had to go put the 8-track in and we were at the mercy of television at the time. We didn't have the full systems. In Toronto, we've got a side view, we've got a back view, we've got a top view. We've got a lot of different views. It's pretty good.

RG: When you saw the controversy last year with Joey Votto and critics saying he was too passive, needed to be more aggressive, hit more home runs. I mean you worked with the guy (back with the Reds) and the guys's a pretty good hitter. What was your take.

BJ: He's a very good hitter. I was there two years ago and the only thing we worked on was trying to get his field turned back more gap-to-gap because he had shifted it so much opposite field. Whether it was his knee, which it probably was. He had two knee surgeries within six weeks one year and it took him a while to recover from that, get his legs back under him. He's a talented hitter. The year he had in '10, I think was the gold standard for him. The runs, the RBIs, the on-base, the home runs. I mean, he did it all. He's back to doing it again.

RG: It's a grind, 162 games. How about 180 games. Can hitters feed off adrenaline of post-season and not feel fatigue and stuff like that.

BJ: I think it's all, you get re-energized by the fact that you're in the playoffs by the crowds, the excitement. I think that bumps the adrenaline back up again. I'm not saying there's an on-off switch. These guys have been going good all year. I mean they've been getting after it all year, so I don't see that changing.

RG: Is this the best group of hitters that you've ever worked with and if that's the case is this the easiest job you've ever had.

BJ: Ever, ever. The best group ever. These guys, the biggest thing is that they adjust quickly to how the pitchers adjust. And we've seen it all year. We've seen guys with 97 m.p.h. fastballs get hit around and start softening up and throwing their breaking stuff. They adjust right with him.

RG: That's just being smart. I mean guys like Edwin aren't perceived as being really smart hitters, but he's a student of the game.

BJ: Very intelligent hitter. Very gifted hitter. He's got a plan up there. He'll sit on pitches. He's just fun to watch.

RG: Thanks Brook and good luck.

BLUE JAYS DOWN ON THE FARM

The Jays' eight farm teams concluded play and ended with a combined record of 415-424 (.494).

AAA-BUFFALO (68-76) ... Missed the playoffs.

AA-NEW HAMPSHIRE (69-71) ... Missed the playoffs.

A-DUNEDIN (61-76) ... missed the playoffs.

A-LANSING (73-66; 2-0; 1-2) ... The Lugnuts lost to West Michigan losing out on the Midwest League Eastern Conference title.

A-VANCOUVER (34-42) ... Missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

A-BLUEFIELD (25-42) ... Missed the playoffs.

Rk-GCL BLUE JAYS (39-19; 1-2) ... Lost to Red Sox in playoffs.

RK-DOMINICAN BLUE JAYS (45-27; 0-2) season is over.

MLB POWER RANKINGS (Through 09/27)

TEAM LAST WEEK

1-St. Louis Cardinals 1

2-Pittsburgh Pirates 4

3-Kansas City Royals 3

4-Toronto Blue Jays 2

5-Chicago Cubs 5

6-New York Mets 7

7-Los Angeles Dodgers 8

8-Texas Rangers 9

9-Houston Astros 10

10-New York Yankees 6

11-Los Angeles Angels 11

12-Minnesota Twins 12

13-San Francisco Giants 14

14-Washington Nationals 15

15-Cleveland Indians 13

16-Baltimore Orioles 19

17-Boston Red Sox 16

18-Tampa Bay Rays 17

19-Seattle Mariners 18

20-Arizona Diamondbacks 20

21-Chicago White Sox 21

22-San Diego Padres 22

23-Detroit Tigers 23

24-Oakland A's 24

25-Milwaukee Brewers 25

26-Colorado Rockies 26

27-Cincinnati Reds 29

28-Miami Marlins 27

29-Atlanta Braves 28

30-Philadelphia Phillies 30

ON THE ROAD AGAIN:

Downtown St. Petersburg has been re-invigourated the last few years with a vibrant nightlife on Central Ave., in a four square block area. The usual 500-plus Jays fans flew down from Canada for the final series of the season and were the talk of the town among the locals, cab drivers and service people. They all believe in an informal poll that no other fan base travels as well as does the Jays.

I stayed for three nights at the Ponce de Leon Hotel, a nice little boutique hotel on Central. One complaint. There is a small elevator in the corner of the lobby and the one issue I have is that they have the same song playing on an eternal loop and I can't get it out of my head. It's Sting's catchy little “Englishman in New York” that seems to make no sense as the anthem at the Ponce de Leon.

On the final night, following the Jays' 12-3 loss to the Rays, I stopped in at Caddy's on Central to catch the end of Sunday Night Football. Sitting at the outdoor bar, I watched an unusual scene unfold as a young woman sat named Kimberley, just off work from a nearby restaurant, sat down and ordered a sandwich. A stranger, a grizzled local, approached and invaded her space before she even took a bite, reached over and took a fry off of her plate and ate it. She spread her hands wide in what resembled an umpire's universal safe call, as he skulked away. “He's not wearing shoes,” Kimberley observed. The sandwich went in a box to be consumed later. The fries went in the garbage.

Baltimore was where the Jays had clinched the AL East, but the experience was one where the weather dominated the conversation. One game was rained out and the Jays were lucky to get the Thursday contest in, as the O's made the wrong call, switching it from 7:00 p.m. no a noon start, citing the weather concerns. However, after one inning, the game was delayed by rain for over three hours and resumed at 4:00 p.m. The evening turned out fine. The time change may have contributed to the Jays losing first overall to the Royals. Because of the post-doubleheader celebration that went late into the night in Baltimore, John Gibbons sat his entire lineup for the afternoon start. If it had been at night there was a chance at lesast some of the regulars would have been available.

That's the end of my 21st baseball regular-season writing columns for The Star. But it's not over, as the post-season finally includes the Jays and commences on Thursday.

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